1.2 units of measurement
from hands-on chemistry

            An accurate and consistent system of measurement is the foundation of a healthy economy.   In the United States, a carpenter pays for lumber by the board-foot, while a motorist buys gasoline by the gallon, and a jeweler sells gold by the ounce.  Land is sold by the acre, fruits and vegetables are sold by the pound, and electric cable is sold by the yard.  Without a consistent, honest system of measurement, world trade would be thrown into chaos.  Throughout history, buyers and sellers have tried to defraud each other by inaccurately representing the quantity of the product exchanged.  In the Bible we read that the people of Israel were commanded to not "...use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity"  but rather "use honest scales and honest weights..." (Leviticus 19:35-36).  From ancient times to the present there has been a need for measuring things accurately.
When the ancient Egyptians built monuments like the pyramids, they measured the stones they cut using body dimensions every worker could relate to.  Small distances were measured in "digits" (the width of a finger) and longer distances in "cubits" (the length from the tip of the elbow to the tip of the middle finger; 1 cubit = 28 digits).  The Romans were famous road builders and measured distances in "paces" (1 pace = two steps).  Archaeologists have uncovered ancient Roman roads and found "mile"-stones marking each 1000 paces (mil is Latin for 1000).  The Danes were a seafaring people and particularly interested in knowing the depth of water in shipping channels. They measured soundings in "fathoms" (the distance from the tip of the middle finger on one hand to the tip of the middle finger on the other) so navigators could easily visualize how much clearance their boats would have.   In England distances were defined with reference to body features of the king.  A "yard" was the circumference of his waist, an "inch" was the width of his thumb, and a "foot" the length of his foot.  English farmers, however, estimated lengths in something they could more easily relate to: "furlongs", the length of an average plowed furrow. 
As various cultures emigrated to England, they brought with them their various measurement systems.  Today, the English or Customary system reflects the variety of different measurement systems from which it originated.   There are, for example, many units in which distance can be measured in the Customary system, but they bear no logical relationship to each other:

1 statute mile = 0.8688 nautical miles = 1,760  yards =  320 rods  =  8 furlongs =5280 feet = 63360 inches = 880 fathoms = 15840 hands

Many English units are specific to certain professions or trades.   A sea captain reports distances in nautical miles and depths in fathoms, while a horse trainer measures height in hands and distance in furlongs.  Unfortunately, most people have no idea what nautical miles, fathoms, hands, or furlongs are because they only use the more common measures of miles, yards, inches.
The early English settlers brought the Customary system of measurement with them to the American colonies. Although the Customary system is still widely used in America, scientists prefer to use the metric system.  Unlike the English (Customary) system, the metric system did not evolve from a variety of ancient measurement systems, but was a logical, simplified system developed in Europe during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.  The metric system is now the mandatory system of measurement in every country of the world except the United States, Liberia and Burma (Myanmar).
In 1960, an international conference was called to standardize the metric system.  The international System of Units (SI) was established in which all units of measurement are based upon seven base units:  meter (distance), kilogram (mass), second (time), ampere (electrical current), Kelvin (temperature), mole (quantity), and candela (luminous intensity).  The metric system simplifies measurement by using a single base unit for each quantity and by establishing decimal relationships among the various units of that same quantity.  For example, the meter is the base unit of length and other necessary units are simple multiples or sub-multiples:

1 meter = 0.001 kilometer = 1,000 millimeters =1,000,000 micrometers = 1,000,000,000 nanometers

Table 1 shows the SI prefixes and symbols.  Throughout this book we use the metric system of measurement.

 

Table 1:  SI Prefixes and  Symbols
Factor	Decimal Representation	Prefix	Symbol
1018	1,000,000,000,000,000,000	exa	E
1015	1,000,000,000,000,000	peta	P
1012	1,000,000,000,000	tera	T
109	1,000,000,000	giga	G
106	1,000,000	mega	M
103	1,000	kilo	k
102	100	hecto	h
101	10	deka	da
100	1
10-1	0.1	deci	d
10-2	0.01	centi	c
10-3	0.001	milli	m
10-6	0.000 001	micro	m
10-9	0.000 000 001	nano	n
10-12	0.000 000 000 001	pico	p
10-15	0.000 000 000 000 001	femto	f
10-18	0.000 000 000 000 000 001	atto	a

 

1.2.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITS

Concepts to Investigate: Fundamental units, derived units, factor labels, dimensions.
Materials: none.
Principles and Procedures: When crossing the border to Canada, American motorists are often surprised to see speed limits of "90" or "100".   If they don't realize that Canadians measure speed in kilometers/hr while Americans measure in miles/hr (1.00 mile/hr = 1.61 kilometers/hr; 60 miles/hr = 97 km/hr) they may soon be in for trouble with the law.   If, for example,  an American motorist accelerates until her speedometer (measured in miles/hr) reaches "100",  she will be traveling 38 miles/hr over the posted speed limit of 100 km/hr since a speed of 100 km/hr is equal to only 62 miles/hr. As this example illustrates, measurements without units are meaningless and may lead to serious misunderstandings.  Everything that can be measured must be expressed with appropriate units.
Units in everyday life:  We use units everyday, often without even realizing it.   In the statements that follow you will find a wide variety of interesting facts, but each is missing a crucial piece of information -- the dimensions (units)!   All the statements are meaningless until you supply the appropriate units.  On the basis of your experiences, try to match the appropriate units from the list provided. 

carats cm degrees Celsius degrees Fahrenheit

feet grams/ml inches kcal (Cal) kilograms

kilometers kilowatt-hours liters megabars miles miles per hour

milligrams pounds stories tons yards

 

(a)        America's tallest building (Sears Tower in Chicago) is 110 ___ high.
(b)       The Empire State Building in New York is 1250 ___ high.
(c)        The Nile is the world's longest river. It is 4180  ___ long.
(d)       The Amazon River in South America is ___ 6296 long.
(e)        The coldest temperature ever recorded was -128.6 ____ in Vostok, Antarctica in 1983.
(f)        The highest recorded temperature in the United States was in Death Valley, California when the mercury reached 57 ____!
(g)       The world record rainfall occurred in Cherrapunji, India where 1042 ___ of rain fell in one year.
(h)       The largest recorded hailstone to ever fall landed in Coffeyville, Kansas in 1979.  It had a diameter of 44.5 _____ !
(i)        The longest punt in NFL history was by Steve O'Neal of the new York Jets.  He kicked the football 98____.
(j)        The largest seed in the world is that of the coc-de-mer coconut tree, which may weigh as much as 40 ____!
(k)       The world's largest meteorite is located in Southwest Africa.  It weighs 650 ________ .
(l)        The most popular soft drink in the World is currently Coca ColaÒ.  More than 210 million ______ were consumed each day in 1990.
(m)       The largest diamond in the world was mined from South Africa in 1905 and weighs 3,106 _______ .
(n)       Earth is the densest of the nine planets, with an average density of 5.515 _____ .
(o)       The world's fastest aircraft is the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, clocking a record speed of 2,193.67____.
(p)        The largest gold nugget ever found had a mass of 100 ________ !
(q)       One large chicken egg contains an average of 274____ cholesterol.
(r)        A 16-year old male requires an average of 2800 ____ of energy per day while a an average 16-year old female requires only 2100____.
(s)        The United States produces and consumes more electric energy than any other nation.  Each year the United States produces over 2500 billion ____ .
(t)        The largest pressure ever developed in a laboratory was 1.70 ______, used to solidify hydrogen in 1978.

           
Questions:
(1) Why is it essential that all measurements be accompanied by appropriate units?
(2) Individuals who travel to regions of the world with poor sanitation are warned to filter or boil their water before drinking it to remove deadly water-born pathogens that cause diseases such as cholera or typhoid.  If you were traveling in a region known to have a polluted water supply, would you drink water that your host said had been heated to 100 degrees for five minutes?  Explain. 

1.2.2 UNITS IN CHEMISTRY

Concepts to Investigate: Fundamental units, derived units, SI (International System) units.
Materials:  optional: dictionary, encyclopedia, chemical handbook.
Principles and Procedures:
Fundamental and Derived Units: There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet, yet with these 26 letters it is possible to construct all of the words in the English language.  Similarly, there are 7 "letters" in the "language of measurement"  from which all units of measurement are derived. These 7 "letters" are distance , mass, time, electric charge, temperature, amount, and luminous intensity (see the first seven entries in Table 2).  These are known as the fundamental units because they can not be expressed in a simpler fashion. All other units are derived from these seven units.
Distance is a fundamental unit, because it can be expressed in no simpler terms.  However, volume is a derived unit because it is expressed as the cube of distance.  For example, when measuring the volume of a box you multiply its length by its width by its height.  The resulting volume is expressed as a cube of distance (d3) such as cubic feet or cubic centimeters.  Density is also a derived unit because it is expressed as the ratio of mass/volume, where volume itself is a derived unit expressed as a function of distance cubed.  Thus, we can express density (a derived unit) in terms of fundamental units as mass divided by distance cubed  (m/d3).
In 1960 the 11th General Conference on Weights and Measures adopted the International System of measurement (SI) and assigned base units for each physical quantity.  Table 2 shows some common physical quantities and their SI units.  The first 7 (bold type) are the seven fundamental units while the remaining units are derived from these. 

Table 2:  Physical Quantities and Their Units
	symbol	SI measurement units	symbol	unit dimensions
distance	d	meter	m	m
mass	m	kilogram	kg	kg
time	t	second	s	s
electric charge*	Q	coulomb	C	C
temperature	T	Kelvin	K	K
amount of substance	n	mole	mol	mol
luminous intensity	I	candela	cd	cd
acceleration	a	meter per second squared	m/s2	m/s2
area	A	square meter	m2	m2
capacitance	C	farad	F	C2.s2/kg.m2
concentration	[C]	molar	M	mol/m3
density	D	kilogram per cubic meter	kg/m3	kg/m3
electric current	I	ampere	A	C/s
electric field intensity	E	newton per coulomb	N/C	kg.m/C.s2
electric resistance	R	ohm	W	kg.m2/C2.s
emf	x	volt	V	kg.m2/C.s2
energy	E	joule	J	kg.m2/s2
force	F	newton	N	kg.m/s2
frequency	f	hertz	Hz	s-1
heat	Q	joule	J	kg.m2/s2
illumination	E	lux   (lumen per square meter)	lx	cd/m2
inductance	L	henry	H	kg.m2/C2
magnetic flux	f	weber	Wb	kg.m2/C.s
potential difference	V	volt	V	kg.m2/C.s2
power	P	watt	W	kg.m2/s3
pressure	p	pascal  (newton per square meter)	Pa	kg/m.s2
velocity	v	meter per second	m/s	m/s
volume	V	cubic meter	m3	m3
work	W	joule	J	kg.m2/s2

*  The official SI quantity is electrical current, and the base unit is the ampere.  Electrical current is the amount of electrical charge (measured in coulombs) per unit of time. 

            SI multiple units and Non SI-Units:  Some of the most commonly measured quantities in chemistry are distance, mass, time, temperature, volume, density, pressure, amount, concentration, energy, velocity, molarity, viscosity, and electric charge.  All of these quantities can be measured in a variety of different ways.  For example, distance can be measured in centimeters, nanometers, miles, inches, feet, fathoms, Ångstroms, microns, kilometers, yards, light-years, femtometers and mils.  Different units are used to measure different things.  For example, interstellar distances are measured in light-years (e.g. the distance between our Sun and the next nearest star Proxima Centurai is 4 light-years) while intermolecular bond lengths are measured in Ångstroms (e.g. the distance between hydrogen and oxygen in water is 0.958 Å)
Unfortunately, those unfamiliar with the variety of units used to measure distance might assume that all of these units represent different physical quantities, when in fact they are all used to measure distance.  Although groups like the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemists (IUPAC) and others have recommended that all quantities be measured in SI units (e.g. meters)  or multiples of SI units (e.g. femtometers, nanometers, micrometers, millimeters, centimeters, kilometers), many other measurement units continue to be used (e.g., miles, inches, feet, fathoms, Ångstroms, microns, yards, light-years, mils).
The left hand column in Table 3 lists some of the most commonly measured quantities in chemistry and the middle column lists the SI units.  Table 4 provides a list of other units that are used in the measurement of one of these 8 quantities.  Examine each of these terms and try to determine which quantity it measures (distance, mass, time, etc.).   Place these units in the table adjacent to the quantity you believe they measure.  After classifying the units, consult a dictionary, encyclopedia, chemistry text, or other resource to determine if you classification is correct.

Table 3     Different units for the same quantity
Quantity	SI units	other units
distance	meters
mass	kilograms
time	seconds
temperature	kelvin
volume	cubic meters
density	kilograms per cubic meter
pressure	newtons per square meter
energy	joules

 

Table 4     Units of distance, mass, time, temperature,  volume, density, pressure and energy
Ångstroms astronomical units atmospheres(atm) atomic mass units bars barrels bayre board-feet British thermal units bushels Calories carats centigrade centigrams centimeters centuries cm H20 cubic centimeters cubic yards cups days decades degrees Celsius degrees Fahrenheit degrees Rankine	dynes dyne per square electron volts ergs fathoms feet femtometers gallons grams per cubic centimeter grams per liter grams per milliliter grams hours inches joules kilocalories kilograms kilojoule kilometers kilopascals kilowatt-hours light-years liters metric tons micrograms microns	mils miles milligrams millennia millibar milliliters milliseconds minutes mmHg nanometers nanoseconds ounces ounces per gallon pascals pecks pints pounds per cubic foot pounds per square inch quarts slugs tablespoons teaspoons therms tons torrs yards

 

1.2.3 Problem Solving (Dimensional Analysis)

Concepts to Investigate: Problem solving, dimensional analysis (factor-label method, unit analysis).
Materials: none.
Principles and Procedures: Cardiovascular diseases (diseases of the heart and blood vessels) are the leading cause of death worldwide.  To address this problem, biomedical engineers have designed various artificial hearts, and some day surgeons may routinely implant these in patients whose own hearts are failing.  Before implanting such a device in a patient, a surgeon needs to have an idea of how long it might be expected to work before needing to be replaced.  If an artificial heart is capable of pumping at least 17,000,000 pints of blood before failure, how long will it  probably last in a patient if their average heart rate is 72 beats per minutes, and average stroke volume (the amount of blood pumped with each stroke) is 70 mL? 
When faced with such a problem, people usually resort to their calculators and punch in sequences such as the following:

(17,000,000 x 473 x 70)/(72 x 60 x 365)=?
(70 x 72 x 60 x 365)/(17,000,000 x 473)=?
(17,00,000 x 473 x 72)/(70 x 60 x 365)=?

Each one of these includes the correct numbers, but which equation yields a correct answer?  Actually, all are incorrect because they do not specify units (a dimensionless product is meaningless) and illustrate errors in logic (the calculations will yield incorrect numbers because they are not set up correctly).  Fortunately, such errors can be avoided using a technique known as dimensional analysis.

Dimensional Analysis (also known as factor-label method and unit analysis) is the single most powerful technique in solving problems of this kind.  Dimensional analysis allows you to set up the problem and check for logic errors before performing calculations, and allows you to determine intermediate answers enroute to the solution.  Dimensional analysis involves five basic steps:
(1) Unknown:  Clearly specify the units (dimensions) of the desired product (the unknown).  These will become the target units for your equation.
(2) Knowns:  Specify all known values with their associated units.
(3) Conversion factors and formulas:  Specify relevant formulas and all conversion factors (with their units).
(4) Equation : Develop an equation (using appropriate formulas and conversion factors) such that the units of the left side (the side containing the known values) are equivalent to the units of the right side (the side containing the unknown).  If the units are not equal, then the problem has not been set up correctly and further changes in the setup must be made.
(5) Calculation: Perform the calculation only after you have analyzed all dimensions and made sure that both sides of your equation have equivalent units.

            Let us illustrate dimensional analysis using the problem of the artificial heart.

(1) Unknown (target units)
We want to determine the number of years the heart can be expected to beat.

(2) Known values
The artificial heart is projected to pump at least 1.7 x 107 pints of blood
The average heart rate is 72 strokes/minute
The average stroke volume is 70 mL/stroke

(3) Conversion Units
There are 473 mL/pint
There are 60 min/hr
There are 24 hr/day
There are 365 day/yr

(4 &5) Equation and Calculation

We can now analyze the dimensions to insure that our problem is set up correctly before performing the calculation.  The only way that we can get the units on the left and right side to be equal is by dividing by the stroke volume, heart rate, and time conversion factors.  Notice that when dividing you simply invert and multiply.  The units of the unknown (the target value) are years.  Since all of the units on the left side of the equation except “years” cancel, the problem is set up correctly and we can perform the calculation and determine that the heart may be expected to pump a little more than seven years.
In addition to insuring that your problem is set up correctly, dimensional analysis also yields other answers enroute to the final solution.  In this problem,  the first calculation indicates how many milliliters of blood the heart may pump while  the second indicates the number of strokes the heart may be expected to perform.  The third product indicates the number of minutes the heart may be expected to operate, while the fourth and fifth calculations indicate this same time converted to days and years.

Another example may help indicate how useful this technique is.  Let's say that a painter is painting a fence 300 meters long and 2.0 meters high with paint that costs $23.00 gallon.  If a gallon of paint covers 60 square meters, what does it cost to paint the fence?
The unknown in this question is the cost of painting the fence.  Thus, our answer on the right side of the equation must have units of dollars ($).  Looking at the known information we see that the only thing which has the unit "dollar" in it is the cost of the paint ($23.00/gallon).  Knowing that the answer must be expressed in units of dollars, we start of by multiplying by $23.00/gallon to keep dollars ($) in the numerator.  All that is necessary at this point is to cancel out the units of "gallons" in the denominator.  We know that a gallon covers 60 square meters (1 gallon/60 m2), so we must multiply by this value to cancel gallons.  Now we are left with square meters (m2) in the denominator that can be canceled if we multiply by the length (300 m) and height (2.0 m) of the fence.  All of the units on the left cancel except dollars ($), indicating that we have set the problem up correctly and the calculation can now be made.

Questions:
(1)  Analyze the units in each of the following equations and determine the units of the answer.
(a) The product of density (g/ml) and volume (ml)=
(b) The product of concentration (mol/l) and volume (l) =
(c) The product of pressure (N/m2) and area (m2)=
(d) The quotient of mass (g) divided by volume (ml)=
(e) The product of velocity (m/s) and time (s)=

(2) Dimensional analysis can be used to solve most word problems, regardless of the subject.  Solve the following problems using dimensional analysis.
(a) Calculate the number of seconds in the month of December.
(b) Linoleum flooring is sold in one foot squares.  Approximately how many squares must be ordered to cover the rooms in a school if each room is 1300 square feet and there are 10 rooms per floor and 3 floors in the building? 
(c) How many donuts can you buy with twenty-three dollars if they cost $3.00/dozen?
(d) A light year is the distance light travels in one year.  Sirius (the dog star), the brightest star in the sky, is approximately 8.6 light years from earth.   How far (in km) from the earth is it knowing that light travels 3.0 x 108 m/s?
(e) The density of lead is 11.3 g/cm3.  What is the mass of a block of lead 20.0 cm high, by 30.0 cm long by 15.0 cm deep?

FOR THE TEACHER

 

Scientific notation and significant figures:  When dealing with very large or small numbers, it is best to use scientific notation.  Scientific notation is a method which simplifies the writing of very small and very large numbers and computations involving these.  In scientific notation, numbers are expressed as the product of a number between 1 and 10 and a whole-number power (exponent) of 10. The exponent indicates how many times a number must be multiplied by itself. Some examples follow: 101 = 10, 102 = 10 x 10 = 100, 103 = 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000.
Exponents may also be negative. For example, 10-1 = 1/10 = 0.1. Also, 10-2 = 1/100 = 0.01 and 10-3 = 1/1000 = 0.001. Following are some examples of numbers written in scientific notation:

30 = 3 x 101	150 = 1.5 x 102	60,367 = 6.0367 x 104
0.3 = 3 x 10-1	0.046 = 4.6  x 10-2	0.000 002 = 2 x 10-6

            Writing a number in scientific notation involves successively multiplying the number by the fraction 10/10  (which is equal to 1). Multiplying a number by one does not change the value of that number. For example:

            It is certainly not necessary to use the above formal procedure to write a number in scientific notation. After some practice your students will be doing it in their heads.  You may wish to explain scientific notation as follows: to write 142 in scientific notation, move the decimal point two places to the left (which is dividing by 102), and multiply by 102 to get 1.42 x 102.  To write 0.013 in scientific notation, move the decimal point two places to the right (which is multiplying by 102), and divide  by 102 to get 1.3 x 10-2.
Computations involving numbers written in scientific notation are easy to perform. To multiply numbers written in scientific notation, multiply the whole-number parts and add the powers (exponents). To divide numbers written in scientific notation, divide the whole-number parts and subtract the power (exponent) of the demoninator from the power of the numerator.  Following are some examples:

  

           
Scientific notation makes it possible to unambiguously indicate the number of significant digits in a measurement. Suppose a student reports a measurement of the mass of a reagent as 230 g. How many significant digits are contained in this measurement? We don't know! The digits 2 and 3 are obviously significant, but what about the zero? Is it just a place holder or did the student actually estimate the mass to the nearest g? Scientific notation can help the student and us answer this important question.  Carefully inspect the following:

230 = 2.3 x 102

230 = 2.30 x 102

            The first measurement  2.3 x 102  indicates that there are only two significant digits in the measurement. That is, the student did not measure to the nearest gram -- the zero is only a place holder. The second measurement  2.30 x 102  indicates that the student did measure to the nearest gram -- the zero is a significant digit.

1.2.1 THE IMPORTANCE OF UNITS

Discussion:  It is very common to forget to include units when recording measurements or performing calculations.  Remind your students that measurements without units are meaningless, and encourage them to "catch" you whenever you have omitted units.  If students try to catch your mistakes (real or planned), they will be much more aware of their own.
This activity is designed to help students understand the importance of units and recognize their use in everyday life.  Students are asked to supply units for various measurements where they have been purposely omitted.   Some of the questions are designed in a seemingly contradictory fashion to help students recognize the importance of always using units.  For example: question "a" states that "The world's tallest building (Sears Tower in Chicago) is 110 ___ high," while question "b" states that "The Empire State Building in New York is 1,250 ___ high."  This seeming contradiction is resolved if one realizes that the heights of these buildings are measured in different units (stories versus feet).  
Answers:
(Activity): (a) stories,   (b) feet,   (c) miles,   (d) kilometers,   (e) degrees Fahrenheit,   (f) degrees Celsius,   (g) inches   (h) cm,   (i) yards,   (j) pounds,  (k) tons, (l) liters,  (m) carats, (n) grams/ml (o) miles per hour,  (p) kilograms,  (q) milligrams, (r) kcal (Cal)   (s) kilowatt-hours, (t) megabars.
(1) There are many different ways to measure any particular quantity and it is essential to use the correct unit to avoid confusion and unwieldy numbers.  For example, mass can me measured in grams, centigrams, kilograms , milligrams, micrograms, atomic mass units, carats, ounces, slugs, tons, or metric tons. 
(2) Hopefully, before you drink, you would ask your host whether it was heated to 100 degrees Celsius or  Fahrenheit!   Water at 100 degrees Celsius boils (at atmospheric pressure), while water at 100 degrees Fahrenheit is only slightly above body temperature.

1.2.2 UNITS IN CHEMISTRY

Discussion: Fundamental and Derived Units:  There is a common tendency on the part of students and teachers to omit units when performing scientific calculations.  This bad habit may result from the fact that many of us have learned mathematics in a "dimensionless" environment where the problems do not involve real-life measurements.  Encourage the teachers at your school to employ units when teaching mathematics so students will be accustomed to using them when studying science.
An understanding of fundamental units can help you and your students discover and understand relationships between various terms and quantities.  Every derived unit is composed of fundamental units.  For example, acceleration can be expressed in terms of velocity and time.  By examining the units of  acceleration (m/s2), one can see its relationship to velocity (m/s) and time (s) :

Thus, by examining the units (dimensional analysis), it becomes clear that acceleration is the ratio of velocity to time.  This discovery is consistent with the definition of acceleration as the change in velocity per change in time.
A second example may further help show the value of dimensional analysis:  A farad is a measure of electrical capacitance (the ability to store charge) and can be expressed in fundamental terms as:

where C represents charge in coulombs, s represents time in seconds, kg represents mass in kilograms, and m represents distance in meters.  If we know how a quantity may be expressed in fundamental terms, we can discover relationships between it and other quantities.  For example, knowing the fundamental units of capacitance (C); potential difference (V), and charge (Q), we can see the relationship between them:

By examination of the fundamental units, it can be seen that capacitance is very similar to the inverse of potential difference:

If we multiply the inverse of potential difference  (1/V)by charge (Q; measured in coulombs, C), then the units are the same as capacitance:

Thus, by examining the fundamental units of capacitance, charge and potential difference, we have discovered a basic physical relationship:  capacitance is equal to ratio of charge to potential difference (C=Q/V).
This example indicates how an analysis of fundamental units can elucidate important relationships.  It also illustrates the confusion students may experience when solving problems.  Notice that C represents coulombs, while C represents capacitance.  Students are frequently confused when the same letter is used to represent different things.  Fortunately, there are standards (Appendix 2-1) for the designation of symbols and these should be introduced to students before confusion arises.

            SI multiple units and Non SI-Units:  This exercise is designed to show students the variety of units that may be used to measure the same quantity.  When students see the complexity of terms, they will hopefully understand the value of using SI units whenever possible.  

Table 5     SI and Non-SI Units
Quantity	SI units	other units
distance	meters	centimeters, nanometers, miles, inches, feet, fathoms, Ångstroms, microns, kilometers, yards, light-years, femtometers, mils, astronomical units
mass	kilograms	grams, centigrams, kilograms , milligrams, micrograms, atomic mass units, carats, ounces, slugs, tons, metric tons
time	seconds	hours, days, minutes, centuries, decades, millennia, nanoseconds, milliseconds
temperature	kelvin	degrees centigrade,  degrees Celsius, degrees Fahrenheit, degrees Rankine
volume	cubic meters	milliliters , cubic centimeters, liters, bushels, gallons, cups, pints, quarts, pecks, tablespoons, teaspoons, cubic yards, barrels, board feet
density	kilograms per cubic meter	grams per milliliter, grams per cubic centimeter,  grams per liter, pounds per cubic foot, ounces per gallon
pressure	newtons per square meter	pascals, kilopascals , bars, millibars , dynes/cm2 , bayres, torrs, millimeters Hg, centimeters H20, atmospheres (atm), pounds per square inch (PSI)
energy	joules	joules, kilojoules, ergs, dynes, Calories, kilocalories, kilowatt-hours, British thermal units, therms, electron volts

1.2.3 Problem Solving (Dimensional Analysis)

Discussion: Dimensional analysis is a very powerful tool for solving problems and can be used in every discipline where calculations are made using measured values.  In this section we have introduced some simple examples, but it is up to the teacher to illustrate this technique repeatedly when solving problems before the class.  Students will learn by example, and if you are not consistent with using units and dimensional analysis, they will not be either. Dimensional analysis has saved many teachers embarrassment when solving problems in class, because the teacher can check units to determine if the problem setup is correct or incorrect before proceeding with a calculation. Insist that students include dimensions and perform dimensional analysis when solving problems.    Another example of dimensional analysis may help illustrate its usefulness in chemistry:
Determine the volume of dry hydrogen collected over water at 27° C  and 75.0 cm Hg as produced by the reaction of 3.0 g zinc metal with  an excess of sulfuric acid. 
(1) Unknown:  The unknown quantity (V2) is the volume of gas at standard temperature and pressure and has units of liters of hydrogen.  Note that the unit is not merely liters, but liters of hydrogen as distinguished from other substances.
(2) Knowns: 
Starting mass of zinc:  3.0 g Zn
Temperature:   T2 = 27 °C = 300 Kelvin
Pressure:   The gas pressure (750 mm Hg) is the sum of the vapor pressure of water at  27 °C (27 mm Hg; see Appendicies 1-5 and 1-6)) plus the vapor pressure of hydrogen.  750 mm Hg = 27 mm Hg + P2
P2 = 723 mm Hg.
(3) Equations and Conversion factors
The balanced equation for this reaction is

Thus, the mole ratio of zinc to hydrogen is:  1 mole zinc/1 mole hydrogen
The gram-atomic weight of Zn is: 65g/mole
Standard temperature; T1=273 K
Standard pressure;  P1=760 mm Hg
At standard temperature and pressure the molar volume of a gas is 22.4 liters/mole
Combined gas law: 

(4) Connecting Path (Dimensional Analysis): The equation to be used is

(5) Calculation:  The calculation is done only after an analysis of the dimensions insures that the left and right sides of the equation have equivalent units.  In this case, the answer is 1.2 liters of hydrogen.

            The student must make sure that all units (dimensions) are canceled appropriately to leave just the desired unit, which in this case is liters of hydrogen gas.  You will notice that what may seem like a rather complex problem is reduced to a simple series of multiplications and divisions.  Virtually all of the problems encountered in secondary science classes may be reduced to a simple "straight line format" which helps students structure their thinking as they solve problems.   With a little practice your students will find the factor-label method is easy and convenient to use, and is a help in eliminating errors.  If the desired unit does not appear in the final answer, your students can be sure that something is amiss and can immediately proceed to locate any errors in logic.  Students may not be familiar with the “straight-line method” for setting up problems and might not realize that the vertical lines replace the parentheses in a standard algebraic set-up. 
Many students get confused when dividing by fractions because they fail to specify units and/or do not clearly specify  the order of operations. For example, when a student writes down the problem 3/4/5, he or she will get 0.15 if three-quarters is divided by 5, or 3.75 if 3 is divided by four-fifths.   Such confusion can be eliminated by using the straight line technique and requiring that fractions not be expressed in the numerator or denominator:

Answers:
(1)  (a) g; (b) mole; (c) N; (d) g/ml; (e) m

Applications to Everyday Life

Business:  Everything that is bought or sold has dimensions.  A land investor needs to know if a tract is measured in acres, hectares, square feet, or square miles.  A commodities broker needs to know if soy beans are priced by the bushel, peck, kilogram, liter, cubic foot, or cubic yard.  A building contractor needs to know whether a developer has given him an order for concrete order in cubic yards or cubic feet.  It would  be nearly impossible to run a successful business without knowledge of the units of the trade.

Retooling:  In the 1980s, much of the American automobile industry switched from the English system of measurement to the metric system of measurement.  Changing the measurement units required a massive amount of retooling.  For example, where a one inch bolt was previously used, a 2.5 cm bolt was substituted.  Because of the slight differences in size, it became necessary to buy new tool sets to work on these cars.  However, the effort put the U.S. automobile industry in a more favorable position internationally and economically.  Many other industries in the U.S. either have made the change or are making the change.

Home Economics:  Recipes always specify measurements in units.  You need to know whether your recipe is measured in tablespoons,  teaspoons, cups, quarts, gallons, milliliters or liters!  When cooking dinner, it is essential that you know whether directions were written for a stove calibrated in Celsius or Fahrenheit.  When comparing the rates of competing long distance phone carriers, it is necessary to know the unit on which the billing rate is set. 

Monetary Systems:  Each country has its own monetary system.  Although countries may use the same unit, it may have a different meaning.  A Canadian dollar is not worth the same as an American dollar, neither is a Japanese yen worth the same as a Chinese yuan. The full name of the unit should be specified whenever doing calculations. In other words, it is necessary to specify an American dollar, not just a dollar.

Measurement:  It is important that you know the meaning of the units by which something is measured.  On business reports you may hear the price of a particular commodity quoted.  Although they may say that it costs $1000 per ton, the question remains, are they quoting the price per long ton (1.016 metric tons), per short ton (0.97 metric tons), or per metric ton?  To understand the world around us, it is necessary to know how items are measured, and what the units they are measured in represent.